Hacking games: The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has funded an organization called U.S. Cyber Games that will assemble a team of young people to compete in an international cybersecurity competition, the Washington Post reports. Modeled on competitive video gaming, the competition will include “king-of-the-hill-type games where one team tries to break into a network, while the other team tries to defend it.” There will also be “capture-the-flag-type games, where teams must complete a series of puzzles that follow the basic tenets of cybersecurity programs, like decrypting an encrypted file or analyzing secret network traffic.”
Delinking: LinkedIn has cut services in China because of “a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements” in the country, the South China Morning Post reports. The social media site, owned by Microsoft, will instead offer a new app focused only on job postings, the New York Times adds.
Illegal source code: Missouri Governor Mike Parson has called for criminal charges against a U.S. newspaper reporter who viewed and then pointed out the security flaws of the source code on a state website, the Missouri Independent says. The Washington Post, meanwhile, says that viewing source code is pretty trivial and common stuff.
We’re watching you: A judge in the U.K. has ruled that an Internet-connected Ring video doorbell violated the privacy of the owner’s neighbor, the Independent says. “Personal data may be captured from people who are not even aware that the device is there, or that it records and processes audio and personal data,” Judge Melissa Clarke said. Clarke was particularly concerned about audio data the device was collecting.
Play no favorites: U.S. senators are planning legislation that would prohibit large online platforms from favoring their own products and disadvantaging rivals, CNBC reports. The proposed Senate bill mirrors a House of Representatives bill that has already been approved by a House committee. “The bill would have profound implications for companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google which all run their own marketplaces for products or information. Those companies have been accused of ranking their own products higher than rivals’ in an attempt to generate more profits for themselves.”
